


What You Make Of It

by Illiteracy_is_for_woozles



Series: The Future Is History [19]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: (slight) - Freeform, Angry Loki (Marvel), Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Autistic Character, Avenger Loki (Marvel), Battle, Battle of Wakanda (Avengers: Infinity War), Battlefield, Because I was High when I wrote this, Blood, Blood and Injury, Body Horror, Brainwashing, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Codenames, Deviates From Canon, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fix-It, Fluff, Frostbite, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Gun Violence, Head Injury, Heavy Angst, I Was Drunk When I Wrote This, Implied/Referenced Brainwashing, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity Gems, Injury, Injury Recovery, Kidnapping, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki is a Good Dad, Major Character Injury, Nobody is Dead, Nonverbal Character, Nonverbal Communication, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Pain, Permanent Injury, Plans For The Future, Post-Battle, Psychic Abilities, Random humor, Recovery, Sacrifice, Self-Sacrifice, Shadow Puppets, So much talking, Soul Stone (Marvel), Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Thanos (Marvel) Dies, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Uma is as snarky as her father, Violence, Vormir, Wakanda (Marvel), Wakandan Technology, War, Worried Loki (Marvel), message from the future, planning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-12 21:10:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18018497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illiteracy_is_for_woozles/pseuds/Illiteracy_is_for_woozles
Summary: Thanos is coming. They can't just sit around and wait anymore.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Full Disclosure: I was sick when writing this and the doctor I went to was not my usual and gave me cough syrup that I didn't realize at the time was laced with codeine (??? Shouldn't you tell a patient that /before/ you prescribe it???) and I was high the whole time I wrote this, so it's definitely not my best work. But it's finished and it's not horrible (I hope)
> 
> This first chapter doesn't have any glaring triggers in it, but I'll try and put those in the notes at the beginning as they show up.

Yasha sat with Lenore, leaning against a barrel of provisions as they dozed. It had been an eventful couple of days and they were exhausted.

Lenore’s head had fallen to his shoulder, his own laying on top, as he listened to the bustling of the refugees around them.

They’d been slightly concerned with the cultural differences between the Jotnar and the Aesir, but so far the biggest problem had been when one of the soldiers had accidentally stepped on one of the Asgardian children’s toys after it had rolled away from their cot.   
This had just turned into a ship-wide game of shadow puppets to make up for the mistake, much to everyone’s amusement and enjoyment.

Giggles floated around the cargo hold as the shadow animals continued their adventure.

It made Yasha happy to hear the survivors enjoying themselves after such horrors. Distractions were generally few and far between, but these people had hope within arm’s reach and were on their way to a new home.

“Yasha.” Loki’s voice pulled him from his half-waking musings.

He sighed and opened his eyes, already knowing that their rest was over in more ways than one.

“Hm?”

“I can’t find Uma.” Loki’s eyes were strained around the edges. He still had bruising around his right eye from whatever had happened on Sakaar and he still held his side, though it had been stitched up since they began their journey.

Lenore rubbed at her eyes and yawned.

“She’s fine, we just sent her on a different ship.”

Loki’s eyes widened.

“You did  _ what _ ?” He looked between the two of them. “There  _ was _ no other ship.”

Yasha ran a hand through his hair and stood.

“Come on, we’d rather only explain this once.”

He and Lenore lead her father through the throng of passengers and up to where Thor, Laufey, and Frigga were still discussing plans for an Asgardian settlement within the Jotunn capital.

Helblindi and Byleistr were leaning against various boxes with Asmund fast asleep on top of one, covered in a blanket and snoring softly. Brunnhilde sat nearby sharpening her sword.

“Is it time?” Laufey’s brow furrowed.

Lenore nodded.

Thor sighed.

“More surprises?”

Laufey winced apologetically, rolling up their plans and handing the papers off to Helblindi.

“Take these to Gánsa and tell her to start getting everyone ready. Have Torunn and Magda direct everyone to their places.” He turned back to Thor and Loki. “If it makes you feel better, I’m not sure what’s about to happen either.”

Loki leaned his hands on the table as everyone gathered around.

“Why is Uma on another ship?”

Lenore swallowed, already regretting her words.

“She’s acting as a decoy to draw Thanos away from us.”

Yasha tried not to show it, but the blankness that came over Loki’s face combined with the waves of anger and fear coming off of him nearly made the mutant run and hide.

“Why?” The older man’s voice was cool, collected, but it hid a dark fear beneath it.

Yasha took a deep breath before continuing his wife’s explanation.

“The last time, Thanos attacked the ship and killed everyone except for Thor in his search for the Tesseract.” He closed his eyes, trying to block out their disbelief and horror. “You gave us specific instructions and we’re following them: Uma is supposed to fly an identical ship with falsified life signs in the opposite direction and we’re supposed to take a contingent of smaller ships filled with fighters to Earth to face Thanos while this one continues to Jotunheim.”

Thor’s face crumpled.

“But what about Uma? If Thanos is as cruel as you say, she won’t survive.”

Lenore shook her head.

“My sister is clever. She will be fine.”

Loki growled and ran a hand through his hair, Laufey laying a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

“Are the Avengers aware that Thanos is coming?”

Yasha nodded.

“We already set things into motion before we left. They’ll be expecting us.”

Thor hummed in thought before turning to his mother.

“Go with the others; they need someone to provide them with some measure of leadership.”

Frigga nodded.

Brunnhilde sheathed her sword.

“Another war, then?”

  
  
  


**A few days earlier,** **_Avengers Compound_ **

Tony ignored the rest of the Avengers as they discussed something unimportant and mundane.

If it didn’t have to do with the  _ Equality Agreement _ or his family, he really didn’t care.

Well, most of the time.

He had been scrolling through various news feeds when he came across a short video and nearly spat out his coffee.

“Hey, take a look at this.” He flicked it up to the viewscreen and pressed play.

The video started with two giggling college girls in the voice over, filming from a cell phone.   
Thor, Loki, Torunn, and Magda stood across the street. Thor looked frustrated while Loki studied a piece of paper, confusion clouding his features.   
The teenagers kept giggling, saying something about a “family squabble,” when three rings of golden, sparking light opened up around everyone but Thor and sucked them into the concrete.   
The video ended with the girls squeaking and running off, presumably to never speak of it again after uploading it.

Someone swore.

“Okay,” Wilson turned to Yasha and Lenore, arms crossed. “What just happened?”

The duo shared a look, resignation in both of their eyes.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y.” Yasha sighed. “Call the school. Tell them to send everyone back here; tell them it’s a  _ Code: Infinity. _ ”

Lenore’s clothes shifted into her usual garb for Jotunheim.

A few of the Avengers protested, but were ultimately ignored.

“We’ll be back in a few days. Francis will explain everything.”

The two started for the door, Yasha stopping before he walked through.

“Just do exactly as they say and everything will be fine.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers learn what's going on and we check in with Uma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like the chapters get longer as the story progresses? I know for sure that the sixth and final chapter is very nearly two times the normal chapter length, for sure.  
> Just letting you all know that I am going back to work tomorrow (yay) but I'm not totally back to feeling 100% so I'm not sure whether I'll be posting in the morning before I go to work or after I get home. I will do my best to post sometime tomorrow, though.
> 
> Warnings: Most of the triggers are in the second half. There's violence, little bit of blood, violence against a teenager, and Thanos is being his usual creepy self. (I will warn you ahead of time that it gets pretty bad when we see Uma again later)

Peggy shared a look with Steve as the conference room filled with teenagers.

The children had the hardened expressions of soldiers, not the curious and joking eyes that the adults had been used to in the last few months. (Weeks for her, but it had been long enough to know how  _ joyful _ they all were)

“Where’s Sarah?” The eighteen-year-old wasn’t among the group as they gathered around the conference table.

“She’s getting something.” Francis brought up their secret hard-drive’s contents.

“I hate it when they’re vague,” Scott muttered.

“Okay,” Francis started. “So, Asgard’s about to be destroyed.”

Peggy stiffened. What little she knew of Thor’s home was that it was one of the most powerful societies in the universe; if it was in danger, that meant that the rest of the universe probably was as well.

“Yasha and Lenore are on their way to help, but when they get back, they’re going to be bringing a bigger problem here.”

A battle plan appeared on the screen.

Tony straightened.

“Wait a second. Those weren’t there before.”

Francis shrugged.

“You weren’t supposed to know about these yet.”

“Why is the map of Wakanda?” T’Challa circled the table to get a better look.

Peggy turned her head to the side. Oh, it  _ was _ of Wakanda, wasn’t it?

“We’re getting off topic,” Danny interrupted. “When the others get back here, we’ll only have a few hours before Thanos follows.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed.

“Thanos? You mean the ‘Mad Titan’ you warned us about?”

Danny nodded.

Azari stepped forward and spun the map, enlarging a certain area on the outer edges of the Golden City.

“He’s going to land here. The plan is to have all of the Infinity Stones there as bait for him so that we can get the one in his possession.”

Sam hooked a thumb at Vision.

“But the only Stone we have is the one in his head.”

Vision frowned, but agreed.

“Loki said that these Stones had been scattered across the cosmos. How are we supposed to gather them in a matter of days?”

The children shared looks of awkwardness.

“Actually.” Francis cleared his throat. “We have three of them here in New York.”

Questions filled the air, but he waved them away.

“Look, the plan is for everyone to get to Wakanda where we can hold our ground while Alex goes and gets the Guardian of the Time Stone and Sarah collects the Reality Stone from wherever she hid it.”

Peggy frowned.

“That’s three, and you said that Thanos had another?”

Azari nodded.

“There are still two left that we don’t have.”

“They’re on their way,” Francis plugged his phone into the console and began downloading the plans. “We just have to follow the instructions and we’ll all make it out of this alive.”

Steve pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Why does this sound like we’re just handing him what he wants on a silver platter?”

Danny grinned.

“Because it’s supposed to.”

  
  
  


**_Open Space_ ** **, A few days later**

Uma stumbled over to the console, holding her hand to her bleeding leg, and checked her heading. She had been stopped mid-flight, as she’d been expecting, but she was far enough away from the real refugee ship that whatever happened would be worth it.

She spread a thin layer of ice over the wound, hoping it would also add some stability to it.

Footsteps and voices behind her. A slick, oily voice speaking nonsense lead the group.

Uma conjured a blade and hid behind the console, holding her breath.

The voices came closer and a foot stepped right in front of her. She leapt out, and stabbed the monologuing man right in the eye.

What had her father called him again? Ebony Maw? That was his name, right?

A giant with an axe grabbed her arm and twisted it back, shattering the bone and sending her blade flying somewhere off to the side. Uma bit her lip to keep from crying out.

The monster held the axe, ready to bring it down on her, when a voice called out for him to stop.

Uma froze, fear paralyzing her. She turned her head away from her captor to see Thanos crossing the room.

The giant released her as the psychopath stepped closer, looming over her.

She kept her chin raised, defiance in her eyes. She knew who this was, knew the countless lives he was going to take and the countless lives he had already destroyed. He didn’t deserve her respect.

“You are a fighter.” He smiled. “This is an admirable trait.”

She ground her teeth together.

“Where is the Stone?” He waited a moment for her to answer. “I know it was here. I could feel its power until just before we boarded.”

The purple gem on his gauntlet shone for a moment.

Uma swallowed, pulling her injured arm closer to her chest.

“I sent it away.”

Thanos’ eyes hardened, so she hurried to finish.

“But I can get you all of them. They’re all together on the same planet.”

He put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in close.

“And why would you help me?”

She grinned, showing all of her teeth and looking him right in the eye.

“So that I can be there to see you fail.”

Thanos chuckled.

“You will make a good addition to our family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uma is most definitely Loki's daughter, there's no doubt about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Jotunn Army arrives in Wakanda and the Avengers are all back together again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I'm feeling a lot better than I was expecting but I'm still tired so here's your chapter. It may need to be edited better later, though. (I am really tired)  
> This whole chapter is in Asmund's POV, though!!!
> 
> Warnings: Asmund isn't very good at reading people's expressions (mood) so if that's a trigger for you, there is that. There's also discussion of the Black Order and brainwashing, as well as descriptions of something you might consider body horror?

**_Wakanda, Just outside of the Golden City_ **

The ships landed, lowering their ramps.

Asmund leapt down before theirs had even reached the ground.

“Asmund, get back here.”

The boy stopped in his tracks on the grass. That was a negative tone of voice, but was it anger or something else?

He turned around to see his father disembarking the ship with a frown.

“He's fine, little brother,” Helblindi sighed.

Loki ignored him in favor of kneeling in front of Asmund.

“I need you to stay with me. Can you do that?”

Asmund chewed his lip and nodded. He could try.

Everyone was still so tired and stressed from the battle on Asgard. He didn't want to cause even more trouble for anyone.

A Wakandan ship landed nearby, Okoye stepping out and speaking to Asmund's uncles and Afi.

Yasha leaned over and whispered in his ear while everyone's attention was elsewhere.

“He's just worried. There’s no anger there.”

Asmund smiled and took the hand that his brother-in-law offered.

  
  
  


The army had been set up in barracks with the Wakandan army.

Afi got along well with T’Challa, already talking about a “next visit.”

Asmund didn’t want to think about it, but if they didn’t succeed, there wouldn’t  _ be _ a next visit.

The conference room filled with Avengers and allies; a few of them were people Asmund hadn’t seen since  _ before _ . It was… disquieting.

Most of the other children had gone to wait and rest before the fight, but a few of the oldest ones had joined the adults.

“Alright, let’s get some answers before… whatever it is we’re fighting shows up.” Tony stretched and leaned on the table in the center of the room.

“We know Thanos is coming and he’s bringing his army,” Peggy stated. “We just want to know what the plan is.”

Yasha and Lenore shared a look that Asmund had learned to read very well; it was the look they always had when they were talking without the  _ talking _ part.

“Did Francis tell you about the Stones?”

“He told us that there were three already here and two more with you, plus the one with Thanos.”

Lenore nodded and stepped closer to the table.

Asmund sat on a nearby chair and slid his legs up under him to listen.

“The Power Stone is with Thanos.” She tapped her fingernails on the tabletop nervously. “It gives the holder control over all forms of power; Thanos can manipulate it to his will and even project beams of pure energy if he so wishes.”

“Vision has the second one: The Mind Stone.” Yasha stepped forward. “You’re all aware of its capabilities.”

He gestured to Dr. Strange, who opened the Eye that hung from his neck for a moment to show the Stone inside, closing it shortly after.

“I have been given the task of guarding the Time Stone. It gives me the ability to control and redirect the flow of time.”

Everyone was silent for a moment as they took this information in.

“What about the others?”

Asmund didn’t care about who asked, just how terrified everyone had to be. Three Infinity Stones were… intimidating if you weren’t used to the idea already.

He stood from his chair and walked over to his sister, leaning his head against her hip, and felt her hand on his head.

“Well, Magda? Would you like to, um?”

Magda nodded and put her hand in her pocket, producing the Tesseract and bathing the room in a dim, blue glow.

“How did you get that?” Clint hissed through gritted teeth.

“It was on Asgard,” Thor breathed. “How did you find it?”

Lenore ran her fingers through Asmund’s hair, more to comfort herself than him.

“I grabbed it while I was loosing Surtur and gave it to Uma to use as bait for Thanos to track.” She took a deep breath. “She was supposed to send it to Magda when he found her.”

Asmund looked up to see his father blinking very slowly and swallowing repeatedly.

Byleistr put a hand on his shoulder.

“There are still two others.”

Sarah scratched behind her ear and took off her rucksack, setting it on the table and opening the top. A curl of red light and energy snuck out of it.

“So, this is the Reality Stone and it can shape reality and matter into whatever the holder wishes.” She smiled. (Asmund thought it seemed a little forced)

Steve’s hand slapped against his face.

“You’ve been carrying a weapon of incalculable, universe-wide destruction in my old army pack?”

“Yes?”

A laugh burst from Sam.

“You know what?” Steve ignored the Falcon’s outburst, making a face and waving a hand. “It doesn’t matter. You said there was one more?”

Asmund pulled away from his sister, knowing that it was about to get very loud, and slid under the table. He curled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

A low but bone-deep glow permeated the air, reaching him all the way under the table, and Asmund heard gasps and people cursing around the room.

“Lenore…” Loki breathed.

Asmund knew what they were seeing: Embedded in his sister’s sternum, just below her collarbone and out of sight below her high-collared shirts, was the Soul Stone.

You couldn’t see the Stone itself, not really, but you could see the orange light it always emitted beneath her skin. This was why she always wore thick sweaters or her armor.

“While all of the Stones have a sort of consciousness to them, the Soul Stone requires a test for whoever would hold it.” Asmund assumed she shrugged. “I passed.”

Loki groaned.

“Okay, we’re going to deal with this later when we have more time,” T’Challa interrupted. “What are we supposed to do when he gets here?”

“Thanos won’t be the first thing we see,” Yasha began. “It’ll start off just like in New York when he sent the Chitauri.”

“Hang on,” Natasha cut in. “That was Thanos?”

“It was his grunts, the weakest of his army. He didn’t expect Earth to be a big deal, so he didn’t put much effort into it.”

Someone murmured a disbelieving  _ not much effort, huh? _

“This time, though, he’ll be bringing his big guns and they’ll be lead by the Black Order. They’re basically his Special Forces, his highest trained and most loyal Children, and they will stop at nothing to do whatever he asks of them.”

“Wait, I thought this guy was the last of his species. You said he has children?”

“He calls all of his followers his Children,” Lenore explained. “Most of them are brainwashed into believing it, too, but they were all taken from planets that he massacred in his crusade to ‘bring balance to the universe.’ He picks the strongest and most desperate to live of the population and trains them up to be his soldiers and assassins.”

Yasha angled himself closer to her.

“It’s why you all chose Uma to be the bait before you sent us here. You knew he would see her and not immediately kill her.”

A sigh.

“How many of this Black Order do we have to worry about?”

“There are five of them, but Uma probably killed one of them before Thanos captured her, so we’ll only have to deal with four at the most.”

“Okay. We can-” A breath. “We can figure this out. We just have to get you guys close enough with your Stones to take Thanos out, right?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

A sigh.

“When all of this is over, we all have to work on our self-sacrificing tendencies. It's  _ really _ not healthy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave a comment? I have no idea if this is as bad as I think it is...


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How did they get the Soul Stone?  
> Lenore and Loki have a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My neighbors didn't let me get any sleep last night, so have an extra chapter today.  
> This whole chapter is just... ow. Really, though, most of the rest of this story is.
> 
> Warnings: The Red Skull makes an appearance and he's a Nazi so... yeah. There's also discussion of self-sacrifice/suicide and an attempt, but no one dies. (There's also a punch thrown between people who do actually love each other. Just a warning if that's a problem for you)

**_Vormir,_ ** **January 2018**

Yasha took a deep breath of the thin air.

“Ready?” Lenore asked.

He twirled his knife, drawing a small smile from her.

“Ready.”

They set off up the mountain, dodging shallow pools of water and passing sand dunes as they traversed the planet.

Up ahead a cloaked figure floated into view.

“Welcome, Lenore, daughter of Loki. James, son of…” He paused to chuckle here. “Oh, well, that  _ is _ interesting.”

Yasha bit his tongue. No one called him that. It was… weird. His dad was James and he was Yasha, that was how it worked.

“You know us?” Lenore studied the figure’s shadowed face.

“It is my curse to know all who journey here.”

The two travelers shared a look.

“Just tell us where the Stone is and we’ll be on our way.” Yasha tightened his grip on his knife.

“You should know that it extracts a terrible price.”

He swallowed.

“We’re prepared.”

The Stonekeeper shook his head as he touched down and stepped from the shadows.

“We all think that at first.”

Yasha took a step back. He had heard enough stories growing up, read enough books in school, to know who this was. But how had he ended up here?  _ Oh. _ The Space Stone, the Tesseract.

He swallowed the lump in his throat as they followed the Red Skull further up the mountain. This man was one of the people responsible for  _ so much _ of his family’s suffering.

“Why are you helping us?”

“A lifetime ago, I, too, sought the Stones. I even held on in my hand.” His tone turned slightly bitter, melancholy. “But it cast me out, banished me here. I was cursed to guide others to a treasure I cannot possess.”

They reached a temple of some sort and stood atop a semicircular engraving overlooking a sheer drop.

Yasha looked down the cliff. He could see the bottom, thankfully, but a fall at that height would surely kill anyone. He quickly backed away.

“What you seek lies before you, as does what you fear.”

Oh, how he hated it when supervillains were cryptic.

“What is this?” Lenore gestured to their surroundings.

The Red Skull smirked a little.

“The price. The Soul holds a special place among the Infinity Stones. You might say it has a certain... “ He seemed to think for a moment. “Wisdom.”

That would certainly explain how he knew things about them. But Yasha was growing impatient.

“What does it need?”

“To ensure that whoever possesses it understands its power, the Stone demands a sacrifice.”

Yasha’s limbs grew cold.

“In order to take the Stone, you must lose that which you love.” The Red Skull’s eyes passed between the two of them. “A soul… for a soul.”

Yasha met his wife’s eyes.

One of them was going to have to die.

They’d promised to return to the others and one of them wasn’t going to be able to keep that promise.

“I’ll do it.”

She shook her head, fighting back tears. He couldn’t really say much, though, because he knew he had his own sliding down his face.

“It’ll be fine. Just push me over the edge and it’ll be over with.”

“There’s got to be another way,” she whispered.

He chuckled humorously.

“We can’t let Thanos get his hands on another Stone.”

Lenore closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She nodded her head and marched up to him, planting her lips firmly on his.

Yasha closed his eyes and leaned into it, almost missing the whispered “I’m sorry” as she pulled back.

He frowned, but didn’t have any time to question it before he was sent sprawling in the dirt. He brought a hand to his jaw, a cracked tooth somewhere inside, but twisted around as soon as he heard footsteps running in the direction of the cliff.

“Lenore!”

But he was too late. She let herself fall, a melancholy smile on her face with a clear message:  _ “It’ll be okay.” _

He was stuck frozen for a few moments, his heartbeat thundering in his ears and ice in his veins. Then it was fire and he stood.

The Red Skull still stood nearby, expression blank as if nothing of interest had happened.

Yasha marched up to him and grabbed him by the neck, slamming the psychopath up against the nearest stone pillar.

“Bring her back.”

“I can’t,” he choked, fingers scrabbling at his throat. “What’s done is done. The sacrifice has been made.”

A crackling boom and a light shot up from the bottom of the cliff, making Yasha drop the Red Skull at his feet and stumble back.

Lenore stood at the top of the cliff, looking stunned but alive and with a soft, orange glow coming from just below her collarbone beneath the skin…

  
  
  


**_Wakanda_ ** **, March 2018**

Lenore plopped onto the couch next to her father’s legs.

He was halfway curled up with his arm hung over his eyes, but he removed it without actually looking at her when she sat down.

“Why?” he asked after a long silence. “Why would you do something so foolish?”

He sat up, pulling his legs under himself, but still not looking her in the eye.

“Why would Yasha let you do something like this? Can you even undo it?”

She shook her head.

“He didn’t  _ let _ me do anything; I nearly broke his jaw so that he wouldn’t do it himself.” She twiddled her thumbs. “But no, it’s irreversible. Death is the only thing that can separate me from the Stone.”

Loki ran a hand through his hair and huffed out a strangled laugh.

“You have had this  _ thing _ in you for a  _ year _ and I didn’t know.”

Lenore leaned against his shoulder.

“I know and I’m sorry. I should’ve said something, but we knew that everyone was already under a lot of pressure so I hid it from everyone.” She sighed. “It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.”

He put his arm around her.

“How was it supposed to turn out, then?”

She shrugged.

“Gather the Stones, hide them, and wait for Thanos. Plain and simple.”

He sighed and rubbed at his eyes

“Things are rarely as simple as you expect them to be.”

They were silent for a few minutes before Loki broke the silence.

“I have one more question, though.”

She looked up.

“Does it hurt? Is it dangerous in any way?”

Lenore mulled the question over in her head.

“It doesn’t hurt, often, and I don’t think the Stone itself is a danger to me. The test was meant to be a way for it to choose its holder, so it would be counterproductive for it to harm me.” She took her father’s hand and squeezed. “The only danger I can think of is people trying to  _ take _ it from me.”

Loki pulled her closer and kissed the crown of her head.

They both knew she meant Thanos and his army.

Uma had played the bait once and now it was her turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normal chapter posting tonight. I was just up early and figured why not.
> 
> Oh! And I am working on a few epilogues! I know what I want to do for certain characters (there's even fanart in the works for one of them, thank you @couchpotaito on tumblr) but I will always take suggestions or requests! My tumblr is @squeaky-floorboards if you want to send them in an ask there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanos' army arrives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am still taking suggestions/requests for the epilogues. I know what I want for certain ones, but I'm not sure how to write them, so please give me ideas?
> 
> There are also some codenames used in this chapter, so I made a post about all of the characters. https://squeaky-floorboards.tumblr.com/post/183324106061/
> 
> Warnings: This is where the actual WAR part of the Infinity War starts. The second half of the chapter has a stabbing and some "friendly fire" and it's... It's kinda messed up, but this is what happens when a character gets brainwashed.

Francis ran to the armory and began suiting up.

He’d mostly been in his armor already, so he really just needed to strap his weapons into their holsters and throw his quiver over his back.

His father began doing the same thing next to him.

“You alright?” Clint unfolded his bow.

“I’ll be fine.” He zipped his suit the rest of the way up.

The older man didn’t look like he believed him, but they ended the conversation there as the room filled with Avengers gathering their gear.

They all knew where they were supposed to be. They’d met up again when everyone had calmed down and certain parents had been able to have calm discussions with the Stonekeepers.

It still scared Francis, all of these world-ending things being kept safe by a bunch of  _ kids _ . What had their parents been  _ thinking _ ?

The fate of the universe was on their backs and they weren’t old enough to drink yet. (Well, in the States, at least) Most of them weren’t even old enough to drive.

His only consolation was that he hadn’t been one of the ones asked to do it.

A member of the Dora MIlaje came running in.

“They’re here.”

  
  
  


Sarah held the metallic vial of aether close to her chest. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she waited.

Far off in the distance, on the other side of the clearing, they could see Thanos’ ships preparing to loose their army.

She watched as her parents and a few of the other Avengers neared the edge of the force field surrounding Wakanda. Proxima Midnight stood on the other side, anger pouring off of her in waves with every second that passed.

Sarah stole a look to her friends around her. The youngest had been left back at the palace, but those who were left wore masks of indifference. But she knew better: they were afraid.

As well they should be. Everyone knew what the Outriders could do, let alone the Black Order.

The mediators came back, tightness around their eyes, as the ships opened and the “passengers” began to disembark.

“Did they surrender?” Bucky asked, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

“Not exactly.”

All of the Avengers and various leaders began syncing their comms as T’Challa lead the Wakandans in their war cry.

Laufey’s army began their own, rumbling the earth beneath them.

“Remember,” Yasha called through the comms. “Keep them away from the Stones. We want to draw Thanos out.”

Sarah slid the vial inside her suit, patting it to quiet the whispers from inside.

As the Outriders began to pile over each other, trying to break through the barrier, more started to go around.

“Now,” T’Challa yelled into the comms. “Drop the barrier now!”

The combined armies began racing down the hill and straight for Thanos’ forces.

Sarah let every flame loose that she’d ever tried to keep tempered, flying high into the air and raining fireballs down onto the Outriders as War Machine and Barrage dropped mines from above.

She could see Silence phasing between people, slicing in and out of foe after foe with the Black Widow, and Discharge electrocuting enemies two at a time along with Fuse.

The Valkyrie ran through the Outriders, tearing through them half a dozen at a time.

There was just  _ so much happening _ . Sarah was nearly hit by a flying piece of debris that one of the larger Outriders threw at her.

_ Focus, Ash. You can do this _ .

  
  
  


Yasha stumbled over a tree limb, tripping and rolling as he dodged the swiping claws of an enraged Outrider.

He slashed across its belly with his sword and shoved his pistol beneath its chin before pulling the trigger.

“ _ Whisper, status,” _ his mother’s voice came through the comm.

“I’m fine. Just surprised me.”

_ “We need backup over on the east flank,” _ someone else called.

The chatter kept going back and forth, but something was tickling at the back of his mind.  _ Something wasn’t right. _

He looked around, finding Loki to his left and Lenore at her father’s back. But they weren’t who he was sensing…

His eyes widened.

“Uma?”

Someone tackled him from behind, knocking the breath from his lungs.

A cold, burning sensation spread up his arms as she held his hands behind his back and wrenched his weapons from him.

She tutted at him as he cried out in pain.

He couldn’t feel his fingers anymore, just a numbness and a tingling, burning sensation. Oh, that was definitely frostbite.

“Uma?” Loki stopped in front of them, eyes wide, with Lenore behind him. “Uma, what are you doing?”

Yasha heard her chuckle, every little sound dripping with malice.

“Just having some fun, dear  _ father _ .” The last word was said with such  _ ferocity _ that Loki seemed to have been pushed back a step.

“Thanos did something to her.” Lenore put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s not Uma talking.”

Yasha tried to undo whatever had been done, but he couldn’t focus; his own mind was a blanket of white-hot pain as the ice from her hands crept its way up his arms.

“Hit her over the head,” he panted. “Cognitive recalibr-mph!”

She put a hand on the back of his head and shoved his face in the dirt.

“He talks too much. Seriously, sister, how can you stand him?”

Yasha listened, breathing shallowly through his nose, as the cold began to set in and made it hard for him to register much else.

He tried to focus not on the mind but the emotions of those around him to keep him grounded, but Uma’s emotions were so  _ erratic _ and at war with each other that it was hard to focus on anything else.

Loki said something that seemed to make Uma angry, and there was a pain in Yasha’s hip like he’d just been punched.

As quick as she was on top of him, someone else tackled her away and he was being rolled to his other side by Lenore.

“Are you alright?”

“‘m fine.” He looked down, the pain disappearing and leaving behind a numb sensation.

_ That isn’t good. _

There was a dagger sticking out of his hip, probably cutting off an artery or two and  _ definitely _ going right through a few bones. Best not to pull it out unless he wanted to bleed to death. The numbness was probably from shock.

Loki knelt over Uma, a look of fear on his face.

“She hit her head on a rock,” he said, voice hoarse. “I didn’t mean to- I was just trying to make her stop.”

Yasha dragged himself over with Lenore’s help. His hands still shook and his fingers were still numb, but he could still try and see if she was okay.

The teenager was still breathing, slow and shallow but even. She had a steady trickle of blood coming from a wound on the back of her head, which wouldn’t usually worry Yasha with how heavily head wounds usually bled, but she wasn’t waking up.

Lenore brought a hand to her comm.

“This is Frost. We need a med-evac for two in the copse of trees to the west.” She scanned their surroundings. “No hostiles at the moment, but we need you to hurry.”

_ “Copy that, Frost. Medical team inbound.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry. Reminder: I was stoned when I wrote this. (Apparently that makes me really mean to my babies???)


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally face Thanos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for last chapter... I am a cruel writer when I'm high. (This is why you don't do drugs, kids.)  
> This is also the last chapter and I won't be posting anything else until I get an epilogue or two done, so come talk to me!!!  
> Who do you want to see first? Who are your favorite characters? Who do you think you didn't get to see enough of? Is there something you think one of the Avengers, just, deserves? (*cough* Tony Stark deserves retirement *cough*)
> 
> Warnings: References to last chapter and to PTSD in the future versions of the Avengers. Nothing else that isn't epically spoilery, though. (Nothing bad, I promise)

Lenore took a deep breath, feeling the pulse of the Soul Stone in her bones.

She was going to  _ end _ Thanos.

That was, if her father didn’t get to him first.

They watched as the medical ship flew straight to the Golden City, taking her family to get help. They’d be safe.

“So  _ you’re _ the one who took the Soul Stone.”

Father and daughter spun around, producing blades as they turned to see Thanos striding out from behind a dense patch of trees.

“I have to say, I can’t imagine anyone less holding it.”

She swallowed and subtly hit the alarm on her belt that called the others to her side.

Loki growled.

“You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

Thanos shrugged.

“I might, or I might be lauded as a hero when all of this is over.” He circled the clearing. “I  _ tried _ to give her a chance to make a difference, but she just made it harder on herself.”

He sighed.

“I do have to thank her, though. She brought me right to the rest of the Stones.” He spun around and grabbed Magda’s throat right as she teleported behind him.

Vision dropped from above, grabbing him around the head and  _ yanking _ . The gem in his forehead glowed as he forced Thanos’ mind to clear of all thoughts, emptying completely.

“ _ Hurry _ , I can’t hold him for long.”

Magda dropped to the ground as the Titan’s fingers loosened, coughing and sputtering. She clambered to her feet and began yanking at the gauntlet with Lenore’s help.

Loki saw his eyes beginning to blink and clear and iced his legs to the ground.

The girls  _ finally _ managed to wrench the glove off of his hand just as he shook loose of Vision’s control.

Thanos grabbed the synthezoid and threw him into Loki, knocking both of them back into the trees.

He tried to grab Magda, but his legs were still trapped in the ice and he took hold of Lenore instead, pulling her close to his chest and wrapping a hand around her throat.

Magda stood there with the gauntlet in her hands like a deer in the headlights, unsure of what to do.

“Hand it over or I’ll snap the girl’s neck.”

His breath was hot next to her ear, and she knew it should have scared her, but all Lenore felt in that moment was rage.

All she could see behind her closed eyes was her sister’s empty, emotionless eyes and the pained expression on her husband’s face. The haunted looks she had seen growing up when she would wake in the middle of the night and see her father and uncle conversing in the kitchens after nightmares of their own.

This pitiful creature had done enough. No more.

“Like my father said.” She lifted a hand and twisted herself so that she could place it directly on the center of his chest. “You’re going to pay for what you’ve done.”

With one jolt of energy from the Soul Stone, she tore the life from him.

He fell to the ground like a sack of meat, which was all he was at that point.

She wobbled a bit on her feet, but Loki caught her elbow.

“Have Sarah turn him to ashes,” she instructed. “I don’t care how. She can use the Reality Stone or her fire, as long as it gets done. Then scatter what’s left throughout the cosmos.”

Magda nodded.

Lenore’s legs buckled beneath her.

They’d  _ won _ .

  
  
  


Tony sat on the floor with Morgan in his lap and his boys in between him and Pepper with a blanket wrapped around all five of them.

The day had been long and the battle even longer. They hadn’t lost as many people on their side, thanks to enough pre-planning (post-planning? What do you call plans sent back in time?) to confuse even him, but there had still been casualties.

T’Challa had already informed the Wakandan families and Laufey was going to be honoring the families of the three Jotnar that had died today in front of their entire planet as soon as they returned to Jotunheim.

The Avengers and their families had all gathered in a sort of communal room to recuperate after their ordeal. Tony thought it was an unspoken way of everyone agreeing that they’d all feel better if they could  _ see _ that the others were alright.

Uma had woken up. He didn’t see what happened, but she’d been cracked on the head pretty badly and no one was sure what frame of mind she’d wake up in, but she was apparently fine. She was relieved to be safe and away from Thanos, but refused to talk about anything that happened before she arrived on Earth.   
Tony was fairly sure what had happened to her on that ship based solely on the frost-burns on Yasha’s arms. They were bandaged now, but he’d gotten a glimpse and seen that they were in the shapes of handprints. He wouldn’t be walking on his own, for a while at least, either. Wakandan medicine was miraculous in a lot of ways, but a knife to the hip with his physiology wasn’t all that easy to heal.

Regardless of injury, everyone was exhausted.

Sarah had used up most of her energy flying around, Peter had almost gotten dragged off into space when one of the spaceships tried to flee, Scott had almost been crushed when the Hulk forgot which way he was supposed to be throwing things.

All in all, though, it was an Avengers-style win: Things didn’t go exactly to plan, but they won all the same.

(Pepper had insisted that their family was going to stop in New York to pick up May and then they were going to take a vacation in the middle of nowhere for a few weeks, though.)

“I hate to bring this up while you’re all being so domestic,” Strange quipped, interrupting a game of Monopoly where each “player” was being played by an entire family at once. “But what do you plan to do about the Stones?”

The Avengers all shared looks. They hadn’t really thought about it, too caught up in being alive to think about what happened next.

“Actually,” Yasha said, limping over on his crutches.

The man held a small USB in the palm of his hand.

“We were told not to watch this until after we took care of Thanos.” The corners of his mouth turned down. “It’s, uh, It’s the last instructions you ever gave us, actually.”

Tony locked eyes with Steve. A sentence like that could either be really good or really bad.

“We were told to watch it with you, too. All of us.” He looked up and smiled.

T’Challa matched his smile, unsure though it was.

“Then we will.”

The Black Panther plugged it in and a holographic screen appeared on the far wall, the wide windows enclosing to just be more walls and blocking out the light.

The occupants of the room situated themselves to see the screen a little better, everyone steeling themselves for… something.

Tony wasn’t sure what they were about to see. A final goodbye? A warning for another battle? It just… None of it sounded good.

 

_ [ The video opened with the Avengers gathered around the camera. They looked older and haggard, but there was a hope in their eyes. Pietro was, of course, missing. ] _

**_Tony:_ ** _ So, uh, I guess this is it. _

_ [ Natasha smacked him in the shoulder. ] _

**_Tony:_ ** _ I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I meant- _

**_Rhodey:_ ** _ He  _ meant _ that we’re proud of you. You took care of Thanos and made your own way in the world. But we really don’t have anything else to help you. _

**_Dr. Strange:_ ** _ The way time works is… complicated. We sent you all back and things stayed the same for a little while, but little things began to change. Eventually, I’m sure you came across an event so big that you couldn’t understand why it was happening at this point in history or at all. _

 

Tony glanced over to Alex. The poor kid had discovered the Sentinels five years early. If that didn’t count as “big,” he didn’t know what would.

 

**_Dr. Strange:_ ** _ As time continues to pass, it’s going to change more and more. We hope for the better, but that distinction is up to you. After Thanos, there isn’t anything more we can warn you about because… we don’t know any more than you do. _

**_Clint:_ ** _ To the younger versions of us: We all know you’re just a bunch of idiots with no idea what you’re doing, but try your best, alright? _

_ [ Bucky gave him the side-eye before looking back to the camera. ] _

**_Bucky:_ ** _ The future is what  _ you  _ make of it, so make it good and try not to mess these guys up. They’ve been through enough already. _

**_Steve:_ ** _ We told specific kids to take specific Stones during the battle, and you’re probably wondering what you’re supposed to do with them now. Destroying them is out of the question, considering the cosmic fallout. Strange and Vision should obviously keep theirs, but as for the others: We couldn’t think of anywhere safer than with you. _

**_Loki:_ ** _ As long as you followed our instructions and everything went according to plan, Strange should still have the Time Stone, Vision should still have Mind, Magda should possess Space, Soul should be with Lenore, and Reality should be in Sarah’s hands. _

_ [ Loki looked to the others for confirmation, getting nods in return before continuing. ] _

**_Loki:_ ** _ Alex, we need you to protect the Power Stone. _

**_Rhodey:_ ** _ You’re perfect for it, kid. Every single one of these things can think for themselves and they need someone who understands the gravity of their full capabilities. _

 

Alex gulped but nodded to the air. Rhodey threw an arm around his shoulders.

 

**_Strange:_ ** _ You’re all Stonekeepers now, even those of you who don’t carry them. You have a responsibility to protect what you possess and not to be swayed by the power you wield. When you are unable to do your duties, you are to find another Guardian. Good luck.” _

 

The video ended.

Tony looked around at the room of strangers, heroes, family.

There was no one behind the curtain, no one pulling the strings anymore.

They were on their own.

Every choice they made was their own to make.

Morgan snuggled up against Tony’s chest, bumping into the raised scars underneath his shirt. Reminders of the past and the future all at once.

He leaned down to kiss her on the head.

Yeah, he knew what choices they were going to make next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *squees* You have no idea how long I've been working on this story!!! I didn't think I'd ever get here. Thank you all for sticking with me!!!  
> Leave a comment and tell me what you think?

**Author's Note:**

> The title might not make sense until the very end, but I love it so it's staying.


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